The Point Of No Return
by Bethsquirt
Summary: Abby struggles with her feelings for Connor as an anomaly mission goes wrong. One Shot.


**Disclaimer:** I sadly do not own anything to do with Primeval.

**A/N:** I haven't been able to be on here in a while. Finally finished my GCSE exams and now have a very long summer to look forward to I'll be catching up with a lot of missed fics as well ;L I hope you enjoy, please tell me what you think! Set after S03E08 but before S03E09.

**The Point Of No Return:**

The anomaly closed and silently spun in the locked ball in the air, and everyone sighed a breath of relief. It had appeared at a quiet and hidden hiking spot near the border to Wales. It was mid-week so most of the frequent hikers were either at work, and families with children were at home and at school, so the spot was relatively quiet. It was just a routine anomaly and it had gone off without a hitch, and thankfully without a creature coming through. They were also hidden by a cluster of trees which helped for secrecy and also added to the beauty of the surrounding environment. Abby watched as Danny patted Connor on the back before heading off with Becker to double check for signs of a creature, leaving Abby and Connor alone for the first time today. She swallowed hard and tried to focus on helping pack away equipment, but the friendly banter that would usually flow between the two of them had disappeared under the cloak of awkwardness that had been draped over their friendship since yesterday afternoon.

She wanted to talk to him, to try to explain her actions, but every time she found the words, they fell away as she turned to him and imagined the look of hurt she would cause to wash over his face. Again. She didn't understand where they stood on the grounds of their 'relationship' anymore, not after the kiss they had shared yesterday. She had been left with mixed feelings after she had walked away from Connor, but she knew that he would be having the exact same thoughts and feelings himself. She'd been warring with herself over the feelings she felt for Connor for months now, but when he hadn't responded yesterday she had been left feeling more than awkward and vulnerable. She hated feeling like that. Connor caught her eye and flashed her one of his dimple-filled grins, that was no doubt hiding his own confusion, and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she returned his smile, somewhat awkwardly, before ducking her head. She hadn't realised she'd been staring. Sarah walked over to where Abby was placing the equipment down and she felt herself calm down a bit more.

Danny, Becker and the soldiers returned a few minutes later, smiling and chatting easily between them. Abby took this as a good sign and sighed. At least no one was in danger due to the anomalies today. Maybe she could try to relax with that thought. They finished gathering the equipment with the help of the lads and then made their way to the cars to put it all away. Walking down the path to the car park everyone seemed in high spirits after the successful anomaly mission. The scream that came next though, told the team it hadn't been as straight forward as they first thought. They shoved their locking equipment into the car before running down another level of the car park. As they turned around the corner they saw a woman stood at the top of a slope down into a third section of the car park. She had a ticket in her hand which was trembling violently as she stared towards the creature that was currently roaming around a few parked cars, seemingly very distressed. Maybe not as distressed as the young child sat in the back seat of a car, wailing and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Connor what the hell is that and how is it down here!" Danny hissed as they made their way over to the screaming woman, quickly. The team quickly separated as normal, Becker with his soldiers going down quickest, Danny with Sarah, heading straight for the distraught mother, and Connor paired with Abby, following a few steps behind. The awkwardness had quickly disintegrated as they were put to work; it was their normality, even though it wasn't exactly normal under any circumstances.

"Urm… Ankylosaurus…uh, Late Cretaceous...Maybe it just walked down the hill! Why didn't you see it?" Danny grumbled something about trees towards the soldiers and Becker and Connor's eyes widened.

"So how do we deal with it!" Sarah screeched.

"I don't know!" Connor shouted back. They had reached the woman at this point and Sarah and Danny were both trying their hardest to comfort and reassure her, even though they knew their words wouldn't be helpful when her child was trapped in a car with a very ticked off dinosaur stomping around right next to it. She managed to tell Sarah, through her tears, that she had left her daughter in her car seat as she went to get a parking ticket, not sensing any danger at the time. Suddenly shots were heard and Connor and Abby both whipped their heads around to see Becker and 4 soldiers firing at the creature's back. The bullets were useless, only ricocheting off of the heavy armoured shell and this only added to the creature's anger and distress.

"Bullets aren't going to work Becker!" Abby shouted as she neared him.

"Use your tranquilizer then!"

"One tranquilizer is not going to bring that thing down!" Abby stated, staring at the Captains face. "Maybe if we had more… but we don't."

"There's some in the truck." He stated before turning and commanding all of his soldiers back to the trucks to stack up on as much tranquilizer as possible. Abby turned back to Connor and saw the concern and fear evident on his face, his eyebrows knitted together in his concentration. She watched as his eyes flicked back and forth. From the hysterical mother, to the weeping child and back to the trundling creature. He then looked back to Abby and she could see he had a plan. Most probably a very stupid one.

"Conn?"

"They're going to take too long Abs." He stated quietly. She knew he was referring to Becker's men. She chewed on her bottom lip as she met Connor's eyes.

"So…what's the plan? It's too far away to get it back to the anomaly. We need to get…" She was cut off by a deafening bang, followed by a sickly crunch. Both Abby and Connors eyes snapped back to the car that contained the crying child and they both gasped in horror. The Ankylosaurus had charged for the car and smashed its head into the side… obviously confused by the loud wails of the small girl inside.

"Oh god no." Connor whispered, staggering forwards slightly. Abby's eyes widened and she quickly grabbed for Connor's hand, spinning him back around to face her.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy? You can't just go down there and try to do a rescue mission on your own without backup!" She knew Connor would try anything to protect someone if he could, especially a child.

"She's a little girl and it's going to kill her if I don't."

"It'll kill you too!" He wouldn't even think of his own safety if no one else did for him. She felt his hand leave hers but then he placed both of his hands on her shoulders.

"I can't let it happen Abby." Abby was about to reply but before she could even take a breath he had gone, running down the hill and out of safety. She heard herself scream out his name and attract the attention of Danny and Sarah who both watched with horrified expressions plastered across their faces as Connor ran down the slope and straight to the car.

The creature was still butting his head against the car and Abby took a shot through her tears, finding that the tranquilizer dart couldn't penetrate the thick armour either, although it did distract it enough for Abby too see that the armour was not on the underside of its body, replaced with soft flesh instead. Bullets may have still bounced off of that, but tranquilizer darts may be able to lodge themselves into it. She quickly returned her attention to Connor though, watching as he pried the opposite door open and clambered into the back seat with the stunned girl. Abby felt the tears welling in her eyes as she watched Connor helplessly scrambling around in the back seat, finally unbuckling the girl's seatbelt and cradling her tiny body to his chest. He made his way to the door holding the crying child tight to his body, but the creature made its own way to the car at the exact same time. Abby heard herself cry out as impact occurred, stumbling forwards but being caught by Danny and Sarah who had ran over to her quickly after seeing Connor's effort of bravery. The car screeched as it toppled over to the side, almost sickeningly in slow motion and seemingly freezing halfway down. It all happened too fast after that. Footsteps got closer and closer until Abby was surrounded by the soldiers and their tranquilizer guns. The crash as the car hit the ground and the shatter of glass was too quick though, and had happened before anyone had shot.

The Ankylosaurus collapsed to the floor in an undignified heap, its body suffering from too many tranquilizer darts in the soft flesh underneath its tough shelled exterior. Abby would have normally voiced her anger at the overdose, but this time she couldn't bring herself to care as she felt her own knees giving out underneath her. Her legs felt like jelly and her head was spinning so much her eyes felt funny, or maybe that was just down to the tears. Her throat ached fiercely but she didn't pay it much attention. The eery silence that had overcome the wooded area had bile rising up in her throat but this just seemed to spur her on even more as she finally ripped herself out of the clutches of Danny and Sarah and ran towards the overturned car.

The metallic frame had crumpled from the strain of the dinosaur's head butting against hit which had caused all of the windows to break to some extent, shattered glass littering the muddy floor, reflecting light at odd angles, mimicking the anomaly that still hovered in the air a few mere meters away. The air bags had exploded out and now lay pathetically down the sides of the glove box and steering wheel. Abby knew better than to touch it in the state that it was in but she did her best to lean over and look through the broken window frame to see the state of the inside of the car, and the state of Connor.

She could see the still form of Connor lying against the window that was now resting against the floor, also broken like the others. He had the child wrapped up in his arms tightly, his body shielding the smaller girl as best as possible. Abby couldn't find her voice to shout for Connor, to wake them up, but as she saw the broken glass that lay all around the two still bodies, the broken glass that was coloured a sickly red colour, Abby let out a strangled sob as her throat tightened. Blood. That was definitely not a good sign. The thick silence that still clung to the air was slowly suffocating Abby as she couldn't force her eyes away from the crumpled ruins in front of her. The cry that pierced it was enough to shake Abby out of her reverie and catch her much needed breath again.

"She's alive!" She shouted, looking up to see Danny and Becker rushing to her. The mother wept into the arms of Sarah, a smile on her face just knowing her daughter was still alive, even if she was momentarily trapped. It filled Abby with hope. If the small child could survive, maybe there was hope for Connor as well. Danny and Becker were next to her then, ordering for medics, the fire brigade, anything that could get the car upright and get the two people out, alive. Minutes later sirens joined in with filling the air next to the girls screams and wails and the relief that everyone felt, almost comforted Abby. She wouldn't be able to rest until she knew the fate of Connor and the child though.

_x_X_x_

Half an hour later found Abby standing back on top of the slope, away from the wreck. They'd gotten the child out, safely and she had just been taken to hospital to check that what the medic on site had told them was true. She'd thankfully been relatively unharmed, it seemed Connor had done what he'd tried to achieve and had protected her small body. She'd gained a scrape to her cheek and forehead and a deeper cut to her right hand but she was otherwise in fine form, the medic had said she may have sprained her wrist, but as far as he could see, there was no breaks to any bones. She was obviously shaken though and had been hysterical as they had done their rescue, she'd been merely 2 years of age, and what she had been through was enough to frighten anyone at any age. Her blonde hair had been tinged red from the blood that had stained the floor and Abby had had to force herself to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. The blood couldn't have come from the little girl. It must have been Connor's. The child had been small enough to manoeuvre up through the broken window frame, which the fire men had sawed through to make it slightly bigger. Connor, on the other hand, wasn't, and they were in the process of sawing through the roof of the car so they could get him onto a stretcher as soon as possible. He still hadn't responded to anyone.

Abby was startled when a blanket was draped over her shoulders and she turned her head to see Danny giving her a watery smile. She returned it half-heartedly, wrapping herself up further in the warmth the blanket offered. It had gotten incredibly cold now that the adrenaline had worn off.

"You okay?" He asked, genuinely concerned about the small blonde. She nodded her head and sniffed. A silence took hold of their conversation as they both stood and simply stared at the men working on cutting the roof open of the car. Danny only let the silence stay for a few minutes though; Abby had never known him to stay quiet for long.

"He'll be okay, you know?" Abby simply nodded again, not tearing her gaze away from the ruin. "He's a fighter." She gave another curt nod and Danny sighed. "You should just tell him." He stated simply after another few minutes of silence. She finally turned to look at him, her eyes red and sore from the tears she had shed before.

"Tell him what?" She asked, her voice sounding different, too scratchy and quiet.

"How you feel." Danny said lightly. She was going to argue back but Danny interrupted her. "I saw you, the other day."

Abby swallowed, and turned her head away. She knew what he was referring to. The kiss. She didn't think anyone had seen. She couldn't really hide it anymore she supposed, not after the way she had acted in the last few hours. She turned her head away again as new tears welled in her blue eyes, determined not to let Danny see her cry again. She felt his hand rest on her shoulder, a small comfort from the chaotic day. Suddenly, shouts were heard from the wreckage and Danny had to hold onto her tighter to stop her from running straight down. They'd managed to get the roof off finally, and the paramedics were now rushing over to get a stretcher underneath him, neck brace around him and oxygen mask on his dirty face. When they brought him round the corner to go in the ambulance, Abby was waiting. She ran to the side of the stretcher as it was placed on the portable wheels. The right side of his face was covered in a sickly dark red, his hair was matted with the dried blood and the cut above his temple looked angry and too big. He was finally awake though and Abby swallowed the sob that attempted to escape her lips when she saw his chocolate eyes staring up at her. He tried to give her a reassuring smile but under the oxygen mask and surrounded by blood Abby couldn't see if it was reassuring or painful. They pushed him into the ambulance before speeding off, dust flying from where the wheels skidded away. Abby stood there, staring at the back of the ambulance as it sped away into the distance, lights flashing and siren wailing.

"Come on. Let's get you to the hospital." Danny said quietly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She simply let him lead her to the car and sat in silence as they drove to the hospital, nerves bundling up inside as she waited to see Connor and finally tell him how she truly felt.

_x_X_x_

By the time they had arrived at the hospital and found a nurse to point them in the right direction, they were told that Connor had already been placed into his own room. Abby felt her nerves return as her and Danny walked closer and closer to his room. She didn't want to see him if he was going to be in pain, it would hurt her too much to sit back and not be able to help in any way. Danny pulled her close and gave her a reassuring hug as they neared the door and she let out a shaky breath before making her way into the room.

Connor was propped up on his bed by a stack of pillows and turned his head as she walked through the door, giving her another of his lovely smiles, he was wearing his clothes still and had a white patch of gauze on his temple, but other than that looked fine. Abby couldn't help the sigh of relief that passed her lips as she saw him awake, alive and smiling, and she ran over to him, flinging her arms around his neck carefully and hugging tighter than ever before.

"Idiot." She whispered in his ear, furiously batting away tears forming in her eyes. She felt him chuckle as he wrapped his own arms around her.

"Careful. Bit sore aint I." She pulled away and gave him a watery smile before sitting on the edge of his bed. Danny came over and patted him on the shoulder before smiling at the two of them and making his excuse to leave. Connor coughed awkwardly and shifted on the bed but Abby was determined that the awkwardness would not come back into the situation. She needed to make things right.

"So, what did you end up doing to yourself this time?" She asked, trying to hide the strain in her voice.

"Surprisingly, nothing. I just managed to knock myself out and get a mild concussion and a cut to my temple. 12 stitches… not the worst thing I've done eh? Might be a bit sore for a few days, bruised a few bones as well. I won't regret it though. I saved that girl today." He gave a small laugh and smiled at her.

"You're a proper knight in shining armour aren't you?" She said, quickly kissing his cheek. "That's a good motto to live by as well. No Regrets" She laughed lightly and returned his smile.

"So… do you have any regrets?" He asked quietly, not looking directly in her eyes. She took a deep breath and intertwined her fingers with his on the bed.

"None whatsoever."

"Not even about recent things?" She knew what he was referring to, even if he would never fully bring it up.

"Nope." Her voice wavered slightly and Connor looked up to see her small smile and he laughed again but stopped as he saw the tears in Abby's eyes and the one that trickled down her cheek. He lifted his hand to wipe it away gently and she shivered and started to cry. "Abs, what's wrong? Don't cry."

"I thought you were dead today." She said as she tried to wipe away her tears. Connor grew brave and pulled her closer to him, sitting up properly to wrap his arms around her. "I was so worried. Please don't do anything like that again."

"I'll try not to. Anyways, I'm fine now. No need to worry about me."

"So the doctors said you can come home?"

"Yeh…I bet Lester will kill me if I get blood on the sheets again though." He gave another laugh but Abby could tell it was strained and she felt her stomach twist and her heart stammer.

"I meant… can you come… **home**." She grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes properly, seeing the hope battling with his uncertainty.

"Really?" He asked quietly, looking from their intertwined fingers to her blue eyes that shone with unshed tears. She nodded her head and he smiled at her sweetly.

"Rex missed you." She said, instantly regretting it when she saw his shoulders drop. "I missed you too, you know." He looked back up and gave her another smile and she squeezed his hand.

"I missed you too. That would be great Abs, really great."

She pulled away from the warmth of Connor's arms to look at him properly. He was staring at her with such sincerity and hope that she almost burst into tears again right there. Instead she traced her fingers lightly across his cheek and up to the cut on his temple that was patched up. She lightly skimmed her fingers past that to rest in his hair and then leaned in to press her lips to his. It was re living yesterday, all over again, but it was so much better than what she remembered. She was about to pull away from him when his hand came up to cup her cheek and pull her in again. Having the warmth of his lips softly caressing hers and his free arm moving around her back to pull her closer to him, Abby had never felt more safe. This was the point of no return. She realised now that she had fallen completely and helplessly in love with Connor Temple, and nothing was going to change how she felt any time soon. She was completely vulnerable now as he had gotten through the walls she had built up over the past years of her life, and she had never felt so scared and yet so safe at the same time. He would never hurt her and even though it had taken her a long time to realise, he would love her forever, and she was determined to show him how much she loved him too. They pulled apart and leaned their foreheads against one another.

"Abby… I…"

"Shh Conn." She whispered, placing a finger to his lips. "We'll talk when we get home. I promise. I have a lot of stuff to say to you too." She smiled and replaced her finger with her lips again for another kiss. He moaned appreciatively and she smiled against his lips. They reluctantly parted and Abby stood.

"I'll go get you discharged yeh?" She said with a smile. He nodded and started to get himself ready. Abby left the room and sighed happily as she walked down the corridor. Things had changed between them, and Abby was sure that it was the best change that could ever happen for them. She would tell Connor everything as soon as they got home and she would try to make it up to him for how she had acted so distant since the arrival of her brother. Together they would put all of that behind them and move on with their lives, and Abby couldn't wait to say the three words she knew Connor had been waiting to hear for a very long time. Maybe 'the point of no return' wasn't such a bad thing after all, and with Connor by her side, she knew she couldn't ask for anything more.

**The End. **


End file.
